Adult learning schemes at bottom of the class

Almost half of all work-based training schemes in England have been rated
sub-standard by the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI).

Modern Apprenticeships form the core of the Government’s skills drive, but
46 per cent of courses are inadequate and 40 per cent poorly led, said ALI
chief inspector David Sherlock.

The ALI annual report will make difficult reading for the Government and is
in sharp contrast to Tony Blair’s speech to the CBI, where he cited
apprenticeships and vocational education as the best way to improve workforce
skills.

However, the figures are an improvement on last year’s failure rates of
almost 60 per cent among work-based learning schemes.

In the report, Sherlock voiced ‘grave concerns’ about the 40 per cent of
organisations inspected that showed poor leadership and management. These
organisations were "not so much ill-managed as unmanaged", he said.

The study said inadequate managerial practices often resulted in poor
quality teaching, learners who drop out early and businesses that were
oblivious to their own shortcomings.

The report also criticised ‘a confusing array of syllabuses, awards and
awarding bodies’.